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^ The Glass factory. ^
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##£@$^†~.¨ Several Centuries After It Had Last ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Stood Abandoned For A Long While. ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Finally, The Natural End Station For ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ And A Gift Shop. ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ There'S A Long Time Since My Family ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Considered Poor. ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Practical. On The Eastern Building, ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Some Are Shattered. ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Glass Of Varying Thickness. ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ ^^ ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ^^ ^^ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ ~~~~~~~ ^ ^ ~~~~~~~ ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ^^ ^^ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ ^^ ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Other Building. The Contrast Is ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Derelict For A Long Time, Windows ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Electric Lights, But I Can See By The ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Windows Are Missing A Pane. ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ However, The Greatest Difference Is The ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Higher Floors: This Building Has None. ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ There Is, In The Middle Of The Great ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ A Revolution, I Notice That For Each ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Step The Building Starts To Glow, The ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Lit From Behind. ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ There'S Someone Else On The Staircase ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ And More Disturbingly, Completely Made ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Of Dark Liquid glass. ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ ^^ ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ^^ ^^ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ ~~~~~~~ ^ ^ ~~~~~~~ ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ^^ ^^ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ ^^ ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ My Fear Holds Me In Place While He ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ The Levers, Messing Them Up. ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Drop That Falls Toward The Factory ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Floor. ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ While His Body Is Turning Into Dark ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ The Last Of Him Rains Down. ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Become Still. ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ^^ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ ^^ ^^ ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ~~~~~~~ ^ ^ ~~~~~~~ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ ^^ ^^ ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ^^ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Back At The Factory Floor, But The ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ I See There'S Something Faint Inside ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? ¨.~†^$@£##
#£@$^†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†^$@£#
##£@$^†~.¨ I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. ¨.~†^$@£##
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